Horsemeat scandal result of "bullying culture"

Tuesday 19 February 2013 - Editorial Assistant

Supermarkets have adopted a “bullying culture” aimed at cost saving on farm food, according to a group of cattle producers which has today called on grocers to urgently re-evaluate pricing amid the ongoing horsemeat scandal.

The National Beef Association (NBA) has accused Britain’s top grocers of cutting corners on quality in the hope of saving money and claimed that the retailers’ “short sighted, price-led purchasing tactics” have been deployed “for decades.”

NBA National Director, Chris Mallon said: “They adopted a bullying culture aimed exclusively at securing as much farm food as possible, for as little cost as possible, and the result is tortured supply chains that add so much unnecessary cost that short cuts on quality and traceability, and even cheating by some suppliers, was inevitable.

“These misguided tactics have to be quickly reversed if further collapse in consumer confidence in the UK’s food supply chains is to be avoided.

“This can only be done if a real and permanent effort is made to correct decades of misapplied endeavour and a new approach to food purchasing is adopted.”

Focusing on buying quality food grown on British farms is essential, the group said and called for a reduction in the number of middlemen such as processors to reduce costs where necessary.

In order to ensure their long-term survival, supermarkets must educate consumers on the true price of food, Mallon said, as we now spend 20 per cent less for food than we did a decade ago, amounting to just 10 per cent of our disposable income and we must be prepared to spend up to 15 per cent in the months and years ahead.

Concentrating on reducing costs is “myopic”, Mallon said and added: “The on-going horsemeat scandal has demonstrated conclusively that consumers only get what they pay for and that continued price reduction will jeopardise food quality.”